Contras

The Contras were an anti-communist guerrilla organization in Nicaragua that was active from 1979 to 1990 during the Nicaraguan Revolution. The largest Contra group, the Nicaraguan Democratic Front, consisted mostly of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's former National Guardsmen, while other units consisted of right-wing fighters from urban and rural areas. The Contras used terrorist tactics and were known for their human rights violations, carrying out over 1,300 terrorist attacks. Ronald Reagan's United States presidential administration attempted to downplay the terrorism that the Contras perpetrated, engaging in a propaganda campaign. After the US Congress banned support for the Contras, Reagan continued to covertly fund them, leading to the Iran-Contra affair. They were disbanded at the end of the civil war in 1990.